Gripper.



A. M. ENGLE & S. B. PHILLIPS.

' GRIPPER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1914.

1,129,1., Q Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

T Elma "tors w HM-ENG LE mu hams 5 w THE NORRIS PETERS COM PHOTO-LITHOHWASHING lu/v, u. L.

ALBERT M. ENGLE AND SAMUEL B. rHInrIPs, or eLoUs'rEn, oHIo.

'GRIPPER.

Specification of Letters'Patent. Patent gfl ]F b 23 1915 Applicationfiled December 28, 19.14. serial No. 879,378.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALBERT M. ENGLE andSAMUEL B. PHILLIrs, citizens of the United States, residing at Glouster,in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Grippers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

' This invention relates to certain improve ments in grippers and hasrelation more particularly to a device of this general characterespecially designed and adapted for use in connection with cars employedin mine work; and an object of the invention is to provide a gripper ofnovel and improved construction whereby proper engagement with thetraction element is assured at the time the same is coupled to the car.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel andimproved device of this character wherein its gripping action and itsoperative connection with the car are under control of a single movablepart and wherein both the gripping member and the coupling member areoperated in unison to afford corresponding adjustments either intooperative or inoperative positions.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved gripperwhereby certain important advantages are attained and the device isrendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient andadvantageous for use, all as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theappended claims.

In order that our invention may be the better understood, we will nowproceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly inplan, of a gripper constructed in accordance with an embodiment of ourinvention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the'lower end ofthe gripper, as herein embodied, and illustrating a side opposite tothat shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantiallyon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawtudinal edges of the plate 1 andtied or connected bythe removable strip .5 whereby it will be readilyperceived that the shoe 3 is efiectively maintained in operative p0-sltlon relative to the shoe 2 and that such shoe S ma y be applied to orremoved from operatlve position .with convenience and facility inaccordance with the requirements of practice.

Projecting inwardly from the shoe 3 and removably engaged therewith, asat 6,, is the substantially T-shape member 7, the stem whereof beingadapted for movement between the transversely spaced blocks 8 carried bythe plate 1. By having the member 7 removably engaged with the shoe 3,it will .be readily perceived that plates 9 of suitable material may beinterposed between the adjacent faces of the member 7 and the shoe 3 tocompensate for wear upon the working faces of the shoes 2 and 3 wherebythe life of the device may be greatly prolonged. Projecting from theopposite or inner extremity of the plate 1 are the jaws 10 between whichthe draw-bar of a car is adapted to be received, said jaws beingprovided with registering openings 11 through which is adapted to beprojected the coupling pin 12, said pin 12 being also adapted to bedisposed between the drawbar of the car. As herein embodied, thecoupling pin 12 is pivotally engaged to the outer extremity of a lateralarm 14 projecting from an elongated member 15 mounted for slidingmovement in the guide-way 16 produced in a longitudinal edge of theplate 1, said jaws 10 being provided with alined openings 17 throughwhich the elongated member 15 is adapted to project and whereby noobstruction is afforded to the movement thereof.

Pivotally mounted upon the plate 1 adjacent the jaws 10 is a disk 18provided on its periphery with the projections 19 adapted to engagewithin the recesses 20 produced in the elongated member 15, whereby itwill be readily perceived that upon axial rotation being imparted to thedisk 18, the coupling pin 12 will be adjusted into operative orinoperative position. The disk 18 and the member 7 are operativelyconnected by the rigid link 21 whereby it will be perceived that uponmovement of the disk 18 to adjust the pin 12 into inoperative position,the movable shoe 3 will be adjusted into inoperative: position and viceversa. The disk 18 has a portion 22 cutaway and adapted to receive thefree extremity of the member 7 and whereby the disk 10 may be caused topositively engage the member 7 when the disk is being moved in adirection to adjust the shoe 8 into operative or gripping position. Inorder to assure this contact between the disk 18 and the member 7, wefind it of advantage to have the connection between the link 21 and themember 7 include a longitudinally disposed elongated slot 23 produced insaid link. As herein embodied, the disk 18 is provided with a radiallydisposed operating lever 24:, for a purpose which is believed to beself-evident.

-From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that agripper constructed in accordance with our invention is of an extremelysimple and comparatively inexpensive nature and is particularly welladapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which itmay be assembled, and it will also be obvious that our invention issusceptible of some change and modification without material departurefrom the principles and spirit thereof, and for this'reason we do notwish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise arrangementand formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out ourinvention in practice.

We claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising relatively movablegripping members, a coupling member, and a common means for impartingmovement to the relatively movable gripping members and the couplingmember.

2. A device of the character described comprising relatively movablegripping members, a coupling member, and a common means for impartingmovement to the relatively movable gripping members and the couplingmember to adjust said members simultaneously in either open or closedpositions.

A device of the character described comprising a plate provided with ashoe, a movable shoe carried by the plate and coacting with the firstnamed shoe, spaced jaws projecting from the plate, a coupling pininovably supported by the plate and adapted to intersect the spacebetween the jaws, and a movable element carried by the plate operativelyconnected with the movable jaw and the coupling pin for impartingsimultaneous movement thereto.

4. A device of the character described comprising a plate provided witha shoe, a movable shoe carried by the plate and coacting with the firstnamed shoe, spaced jaws projecting from the plate, a coupling pinmovably supported by the plate and adapted to intersect the spacebetween the jaws, and a rotatable element carried by the plateoperatively connected with the movable jaw and the coupling pin forimparting simultaneous movement thereto.

5. A device of the character described including a member provided withcar engaging means and with a tractor engaging means, and mechanism foradjusting both of said means simultaneously into either open or closedpositions.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence oftwo witnesses.

hi ALBERT M. ENGLE.

mark

SAMUEL B. PHILLIPS. Witnesses:

Geo. M. ROSE, REUBEN WAGNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents.each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

